Friday, January 9, 2015

Top Five Rides From Two - Fourteen

photo of the year, nothing else even comes close to this pic

As promised much earlier I would have the top three rides, pics, and beer reviews posted before years end. Brothers, Sisters. I've been too busy riding bikes (amongst other things) to do this and I apologize. So I am holding off the first beer review of the year in honour of the top five rides of two-fourteen,

I scanned through the blog the last few days and picked my top five rides of 2014.

#5Jumping Pound Ridge, Kananaskis Photo of the year up above is just too awesome not to mention. It's a blurred, shitty selfie yet I can feel the frustration and disappointment radiating like the sun booming down on the Vegas strip in the middle of a July afternoon. You may ask why this is in the top five?? I simply reply with "mountains." Although I have had much better days in the Edmonton river valley.

This was in the mountains. Thus win... win..

#4 Sudden Biking A couch day that turned into an awesome longer than expected ride. Yes please! Riding in light falling snow just before Christmas was too much. The stress of the recent lay-off was still quite large and this bike ride opened my eyes to things not really being that bad.

#3 Consummating the New Marriage Getting a brand new bike to ride on the first ride back from a broken wrist is pretty much the equivelent of your team winning the Super Bowl, or Stanley Cup. I was so happy it was ridiculous. The fitness was not there and the ride was short. The first singletrack tackled by the new bike was had and that was enough. This is a bike ride I will never forget.

#2 Ball Abuse Saturday Packless rides are the greatest. If you ever have the opportunity to meet up for a ride or just simply see me ride by you will notice my Camelback first and that will be the lasting memory you have of "the lonebiker." You will wonder how I ride with that thing as it is ginormous. Over the years I built up a tenacity for Camelbacks and am now winning the war for Camelback size. Oh yes, and my balls hurt on this one but the ride overshadowed the pain.

That being said, going out without a pack is pretty great!

#1 Friday the Epic In the end I could have done this as an end to end bridge ride which would have been pretty badass. Or so I think looking back. On long mountain bike rides you tend to go through various mental stages, and I experienced almost every one that September day. The only downside to this ride was riding through ugly Edmonton residential streets and avoiding buses and bubba's in lifted pickups to get back.

Next time I'll avoid climbing up into the golf course from Oliskew, that was a bad idea.